Blue Skies
by BrendaBites
Summary: The Weasley's kept Hermione's remains after her death, but she was Tom's. She was his life, and he was going to get her back. AU. One shot.


**Blue Skies. **

When Abraxas stepped into the room, he saw chaos.

The room was dark except for the small light that slipped between the closed off blinds. He knew there use to be a curtain to prevent that light from creaking in, but when he saw the curtain rod torn off the wall, he kept his mouth shut. Abraxas saw the turned over chair in the corner of the room and bit the inside of his cheek. The closet door was opened and shoes were spilling out, though there seemed to be an infinite amount of room inside. Abraxas noticed a pair of bright red shoes and looked away.

Tom said nothing, _did _nothing, as he laid on the right side of the unmade bed. His gaze was focused on the empty wall across from him. There was an awful silence that hung in the room, Abraxas was almost scared to speak. "It's been too long," his voice was loud, his tone sounded like an accusation.

Tom's lip turned up but his eyes remained on the wall. "Has it?" His voice was cheery, his smile was almost convincing, but Tom didn't meet his gaze.

To anyone Tom would have looked like an average guy but Abraxas knew better. His hair was grown out, the curls he usually had tamed neatly to the side, laid messily over his head. He looked as if he hadn't shaved for months, and Tom's smile made Abraxas' heart heavy.

"Yes," Abraxas answered, his voice softer.

"It feels like-" Tom stopped and let out a small laugh. It was empty and it stabbed through the stuffy room unpleasantly. "Like it skewed time. A day passes by so slow," Tom smiled through the words even as his eyes brightened with what Abraxas swore weren't tears. "And- And it just hasn't been long enough."

"Look at me," Abraxas asked, his voice light.

Tom looked up at him. His smile was there. Abraxas wanted to shake him.

"It'll never be long enough, will it?" Tom asked, his voice broke just enough for Abraxas to notice.

"You need to get up," Abraxas said. "She doesn't want you like this."

Tom lazily looked away, his smile strained, "When have I ever done what she wanted?" The words left his mouth as his smile fell completely. Yeah, he never did what she wanted, it was the reason he was there, alone and struggling to keep himself together wasn't it?. He let out a small noise and Abraxas pretended not to hear.

"You have to get up. Go out and live."

"I did," was his quiet answer "But she's gone now," it sounded like a rehearsed line, like something he had told himself a thousand times before.

Abraxas stared at him. Tom Riddle was laying on an unmade bed, his waves greasy and unkempt, his mouth turned into a painful smile, and his eyes staring at the empty space beside him. He shut his eyes and gave out a small laugh. "She was mine 'Braxas," he rubbed his eyes with too much force, "she was _mine_, and they didn't even- they didn't let me."

There was a pause.

"We use to joke," Tom said, his eyes covered by shaky hands. "She'd laugh and tell me how she wanted to be buried."

_"I want to be buried, not in a cemetery surrounded by grey tombstones, but in a meadow filled with flowers and-"_

_ Tom had laughed then, "A meadow? Gods who's going to find us a meadow to be buried in?"_

_ "Us? I thought you were _immortal_," she'd tease, recalling all the times he'd found himself in trouble. She'd scold him when he found himself in trouble, said she was worried sick for him, and he always answered with a snicker about not being the type who died easily. _

_ "You're not getting away from me so easily. If you die, I die," he had shrugged then, as if it were the simplest thing. _

_ "But then who's going to plan my funeral?" she had sounded so offended. _

_ "Don't count on _me_," Tom had said, his voice a little too strong. _

_ "Mrs. Weasley won't look for a meadow filled with flowers to bury me in, she'll burn me up and keep me in a vase."_

_ "Mrs. Weasley can't plan your funeral from a grave," Tom retorted. Hermione had sent him a glare. "Just how long do you think Mrs. Weasley will be around for? Sorry to break it to you Hermione, but you're going to outlive Mrs. Weasley."_

_ Hermione glanced at the flowers in her hand and traced the petals with her finger. "You never know."_

Tom sucked in a breath. He held back the urge to roll over to the other side of the bed and let himself go.

"She was mine and they didn't even let me-" he couldn't finish his sentence, he ran a hand through his hair and sat up, wanting to get a hold of himself. "She was mine and I was hers, and now she was- she planned her future with _me_. I believed every fucking word of it. I believed her when she said she'd never leave me and she- she fucking _left _me. She's gone and she's not coming back is she? I fucked up. I fucked it up so bad and she's not coming back anymore."

Abraxas felt a scratch in his throat, he wasn't sure where it came from, but he looked at Tom, and words left his mouth before he could think. "Let's get her back then."

Tom's eyes were wide, if he blinked, the tears would spill and he'd have to face what he was feeling. He'd have to come to terms with how fucking devastated he still was, even after so much time.

Abraxas smiled warily, "You're Tom fucking Riddle and you say you love her, so do it. Take her back."

Tom swallowed the knot in his throat.

"Go clean up," Abraxas said gently. "Get dressed, fix your hair, try to look a little decent. We'll get her."

Tom felt the hole in his chest try to drag him back into bed as he smiled back at Abraxas. After an encouraging nod, Tom stood up and made his way to the bathroom.

"I'm going to clean this place up a little-"

"Don't -" Tom said quickly. He looked at Abraxas and opened his mouth to say more. "Don't-" he looked around. There were running shoes stuffed underneath the bed, a book tucked underneath a pillow, a bookmark still placed between two pages, an empty cup on a nightstand. He knew there were other things. A curtain torn off it's rod, clothes thrown from it's hangers, shoes scattered by the closet, glass shards by a light blue wall, cookie crumbs by the bedside. Everything of hers was where she left it, and every other thing was displaced in a moment of anger.

"Please," Tom struggled to keep his voice even.

Abraxas nodded, "Alright. I- I'll go make some tea."

Tom felt the knot in his throat as he said, "There's a tea on the top shelf of the cabinet by the fridge. It's in a little box with weird looking flowers and," his laugh was rough but not forced, "Gods, I have no idea where she found it but she insists it's healthy and- but she - I don't know where she got it and I-" He swallowed, "Just don't get that one, _please_. There's uh- there's some chamomile tea on the counter. We should drink that."

Abraxas nodded again, letting Tom walk into his closet with a lost look in his eyes.

In the kitchen, Abraxas busied himself with making the tea. He noticed a note on the fridge with a list of groceries they needed.

_Eggs, but not the organic kind bc you're getting a little too pretentious about that. _

_Cheese, __the cheap kind!__ We can splurge on the wine_

_Milk_

_The cereal with the little marshmallows! Still have some of the raisin kind (you were wrong, not a fan)_

_Chicken (if you want those enchiladas again, __Ground Beef if you want spaghetti!__!)_

_Veggies. The ones you like. Who are we kidding? I always slip them on your plate._

The writing wasn't Tom's, it was written neatly and signed with a heart and an H. Abraxas wondered if Tom had actually grabbed any of those things. When he opened the fridge, he was met with a few brown organic eggs, bottled up condiments that looked too old for use, and an empty carton of milk.

Abraxas wondered how Tom hadn't yet starved to death.

Instead of thinking it over, he went to sit by the counter, waiting for the water to heat up. He expected Tom to be there to meet him quickly, he was never one to take long in getting dressed. After what felt like an hour, Abraxas had already fixed up two cups of tea, drank all of his with small sips, and left the other to turn cold.

He was just about to go and check up on Tom when he heard footsteps. Tom was behind him, the same smile on his face as before. He looked cleaner with newly washed hair, and what seemed like clean clothes. His sleeves were rolled up, and his shirt neatly tucked into his slacks. He wore brown shoes and Abraxas held back his comment about them not being the best to wear with those black pants.

He knew they were her favorite.

_Her laughter was his favorite sound in the world. "You should get these!" she held up a pair of brown wingtip shoes. _

_ Tom had let out a laugh at the sight of them. _

_ "They'll look _good_," she insisted, handing them to Tom as if he had a closer look, he'd love them. "You can wear them when we go out and I'll buy that dress that makes me look like a 40's housewife and people will look at us and think 'now _that's_ a pretty couple. Bet that lady can cook a _mean_ meatloaf.' And they won't know I'm the one who fixed the flat tire of your car the other day."_

_ "You're never going to let me forget that are you?"_

_ She raised the shoes up to her grin, "You'll look so good. Like an Oxford man."_

_ Tom laughed, "What is it with you and this fetish for educated men?" He took the shoes from her and pressed a kiss to her lips. _

_ She smiled against his lips. Her kisses were always warm and soft. He really would do anything for a kiss of hers. _

"Let's go?" Abraxas smiled.

Tom nodded, "Yeah."

The drive up was harder than Abraxas thought it'd be. He figured getting Tom to actually get out of bed would be the toughest part, but as Tom sat in the car, rigid and tense, he rethought it.

They drove past an endless number of houses, all different colors and shapes, filled with people and lives that were still going. Tom tried not to think about how his own life seemed to stop. And when he could have sworn he saw someone pedal down the street in an old bike, chocolate brown curls flowing in the wind, he closed his eyes.

_"It's good exercise. You should try it."_

_ "I'll stick to driving," Tom had scrunched up his nose at the thought of bicycling with her. "If I want to exercise, I'll go for a walk, I'll buy some weights and keep them in the garage all year."_

_ "But it's _fun_," she pressed. "I'll sit on the handlebars and we'll go down the hill by Main."_

_ "On a bike?"_

_ "It's fun!"_

_ "You'll fall over and then the bike will _run you over_ and-"_

Tom flinched.

Abraxas pretended not to notice and tried to start a conversation. "Mrs. Weasley always goes out around this time. Nobody should be at home."

Tom didn't answer.

It wasn't until they were parked in front of the old brick house that Tom seemed to react again. He laughed to himself and gave Abraxas one last look before unbuckling his seat belt with shaky hands. The sight was surreal. Tom Riddle was nervous. His hand reached for the car door and it stayed on the handle for a minute. He seemed to whisper something to himself before he opened the door opened quickly. He didn't say anything as he pushed himself out of the car. His strides to the front door were stiff but determined.

Soon he disappeared into the home.

Abraxas tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he waited .

He wondered how the man was doing in there, he thought maybe it was a bad idea to come. When too much time passed, he thought he shouldn't have waited in the car. He was only really beginning to worry when he heard him coming back.

_Running back_.

Abraxas stopped tapping his fingers.

Tom handed Abraxas what he had in his hands through the window and said, "Give me a minute." He rushed back inside and Abraxas cursed under his breath. "Shit," was all Abraxas said. He didn't have to wait long before Tom was back. With a bike.

"That doesn't fit in-"

"I'll hold it through the window," Tom's eyes were so bright, Abraxas answer stuck in his throat.

He only nodded. "Okay." Abraxas tried not to feel guilty about what they were doing. He tried not to think about what Mrs. Weasley would think when she noticed what was missing. He tried to remind himself that the Weasleys were not Hermione's real family and they had no right to keep Hermione. "Should we go up to-"

"No, I have to do something first." Tom then directed Abraxas on where to go. They were given odd looks as they saw the car with two men, one driving with a vase in his lap, the other with his hands sticking out the window to roll the bike along with them.

"You can park down there," Tom said, dropping the bike as he tried to get out of the car.

"Shit," Abraxas gave the street a wary look. "Is there a reason we're on Main St?"

Tom didn't answer, only took what he had handed to Abraxas, tucked it under his arm and took the bike in his hands. "I'll meet you down there alright?"

Abraxas sighed and nodded. He started the car and drove down the street on the hill. He hadn't really expected to see Tom on a bike from his side mirrors.

It was a weird sight. Tom Riddle, dressed in a plain white button up, nice black slacks, dressy brown shoes, and an urn tucked in the basket of a bicycle as he rode down a hill.

Abraxas had to turn around to look as soon as he parked.

Tom's face was calm. He didn't fake a smile, and tears didn't threaten to spill. He gripped the handlebars with ease and about halfway down the hill, his brown shoes left the pedals to hang over the air.

He expected Tom to pedal over to him once he was done, but he didn't. At the bottom of the hill, Tom placed his feet back on the pedals and made them stop, He got off the bike and turned it around. He faced the hill for a bit before he tugged the bike beside him and made his way to the top again.

Tom repeated his actions, he rode down the hill, let his feet float beside the pedals, stopped the bike, and made his way up the hill again. Every now and then, he touched the urn in the basket and seemed to say something.

Abraxas had to look away.

It was startling when the passenger door opened after some time. Tom looked better. He looked at Abraxas and nodded.

Abraxas started the car and began to drive.

He didn't ask Tom where he left the bike, and he didn't mention how tightly he was holding the urn.

He only drove. He drove back up the hill on Main and made his way further up away from town. The houses began to disappear, and more trees surrounded them.

_"Isn't it brilliant Tom?"_

_ "It's beautiful," he replied. "There's so much green."_

_ "I want to be buried here."_

_ "Don't start with that again," he had scolded. _

_ She smiled as if she were joking, "I'm only letting you know."_

_ "What if I die first?"_

_ "You won't," she paused. "If you died before I did," she shook her head, "I can't even think about that. I wouldn't be able to live without you."_

_ "We still have a long time before we have to think about those things."_

_ "Yeah?"_

_ Tom wrapped an arm around her, "Yes. You should be saying things like, 'This is where I want to be married to you Tom.'"_

_ Hermione laughed, "Will you wear those pretty brown shoes if we get married up here?"_

_ "When we marry," he whispered in her ear, "I'll wear whatever you want me to. You promise to love me forever and I'm yours completely." He tucked a curl behind her ear and smiled gently. _

_ She leaned up to kiss him. "I promise I'll love you forever."_

_ "I'm yours," he murmured against her lips. "Completely."_

_ "And I'm yours. Forever and ever."_

Tom squeezed his hands around the urn. "Right here," he told Abraxas.

Abraxas stopped the car and looked around. All he could see was trees and bushes, but he stepped out just as Tom did. Tom didn't wait, he walked through the trees, and tried to find a good place to stop.

It seemed almost magical, the way they found a small patch of wildflowers growing just below the cliff-like space they were on.

"Here?"

Tom nodded. His hands shaky as he took hold of the urns lid. He looked onward, towards the flowers on the ground, and in the direction the wind was blowing.

It was almost sudden when he undid the urn and raised it. He shoved the contents out and felt his hands shake more as the cloud of black floated along with the wind.

_Her laugh filled his thoughts. "Maybe that dress wasn't a good idea."_

_ She grinned, extending her arms up to her sides as the wind blew at her dress. "It was a great idea," she replied. "I feel like I'm going to float along with the wind."_

_ "I'm not sure that's a good thing."_

_ "It's perfect. Makes me feel like I'm in peace with myself. Like I'm a part of this all."_

Tom kept the urn up until nothing was left inside it. He felt a punch in his gut, and stinging in his eyes.

"She's a part of everything she loved now," Abraxas said.

"She'll smell the grass and the leaves, and she'll see the flowers and the sky," Tom's voice cracked.

There was a sudden strong wind that seemed to circle over Tom. It wasn't like an average gust of wind. It was warm and filled with an energy he remembered.

_"Gods," he groaned. "Go to sleep."  
"I'm trying," she murmured back. She tossed and turned again, like she had a dozen times that day. "I can't find a good position."_

_ Tom had been too tired that night to even joke about her wording. He was just about to scold her again when warmth enveloped him. _

_ "That's better," she muttered, one arm swung around his, the other over his head, and a leg enveloping his. _

_ He only grumbled in return. _

_ "Should I stop?"_

_ She was warm and her closeness put him at ease. She gave out a sort of happiness, a sort of _energy_ Tom hadn't known before. _

_ "No," he replied. _

_ She smiled, her cheek pressed to his back. "Love you."_

_ "Love you too," he had said. _

Tom closed his eyes. When Abraxas looked at him, he saw a chaos of emotions. It wasn't a smile, and it wasn't tears. It wasn't a look of peacefulness but acceptance.

* * *

**Written after having _Blue Skies by Noah and the Whale _on repeat and only watching the music video all day. This story was completely based on the video, I take no credit for the story of it. **


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